A seawater storage tank at a gas processing plant in Saudi Arabia undergoes repair after gaps were discovered in rubber matting lining the floor of the tank, leaving the concrete coating below dangerously exposed.

Case Study Overview

Site Gas processing plant
Location Saudi Arabia
Repair Type Seawater storage tank floor repair
Products Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty

Tank Defect

The plant collected gasses produced during the extraction of crude oil – such as propane, butane, methane and ethane – and converted them into different chemicals exported worldwide for industrial and agricultural use.

Seawater was taken from the Persian Gulf and stored on site in large metal tanks for use in cooling and other processes. Each tank was concrete coated inside and then lined with rubber sheeting to protect the metal frame against corrosion.

Problems with one tank led to it being drained for inspection. The rubber sheeting covering the floor was found to have loosened, lifted and broken apart completely in some places, leaving the concrete lining exposed.

Before the tank could go back into service, all gaps in the sheeting needed to be sealed. Otherwise, there was a risk that seawater could find a way through the concrete and come into contact with the metal frame, leading to serious and irreparable damage caused by corrosion.

SylWrap Solution

The engineering team working on the seawater storage tank decided to use Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty for the repair.

AB Original is ceramic-filled, making it stronger and harder wearing than other epoxy putties. It adheres to wet surfaces and its high chemical and corrosion resistance mean it is often used as a sacrificial layer.

AB Original was kneaded by hand. Whilst soft, it was forced into the gaps between the rubber sheeting, before being smoothed off with water and a hand tool and left to harden for approximately two hours.

Once cured, AB Original formed a waterproof material permanently filling every gap and crack in the rubber sheeting, and protecting the concrete coating from exposure to seawater.

To complete the application, fibreglass sheets were layered over the rubber and coated with an epoxy resin similar to E190 Brushable.

This created a new reinforced floor surface over the repaired rubber, adding yet another layer between the metal frame of the tank and the seawater once refilled.

Outcome

From the application of AB Original through to the full cure of the epoxy coated fibreglass sheets, the repair took two days to complete.

Afterwards, the plant could put the tank back into operation safe in the knowledge that the metalwork was now better protected by a combination of concrete, AB Original, rubber sheeting and an epoxy composite repair.

Follow Up

The metal frame of the tank has remained corrosion free ever since the repair. AB Original has subsequently been used to seal gaps and cracks in the rubber linings of other seawater storage tanks at the plant.

Products Used

Sylmasta AB Original
Super strength, waterproof epoxy putty with high corrosion and chemical resistance

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